Take That, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry to perform at Coronation concert

Take That and Lionel Richie are among the stars who will perform today at the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert to celebrate the crowning of the King and Queen.

The line-up will also include American pop star Katy Perry, Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench, the BBC announced.

Held in the grounds of Windsor Castle, the event's musicians will perform in front of a crowd of 20,000 people as well as invited guests.

The show will also be broadcast across BBC television and radio stations, with millions of people expected to tune in.

Take That’s performance will feature three of the band’s original members, the BBC said: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.

The trio said they “can’t wait” for their first live show since the Odyssey Tour in 2019.

“What a stage to come back on!” Barlow, Donald and Owen said, adding: “A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can’t wait.”

The British group have performed at many Royal Variety Performances over the years, with Barlow also curating the concert outside Buckingham Palace for the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

The BBC said that the concert would herald a new chapter in the nation’s history through themes of love, respect and optimism.

They added that the event will celebrate the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Richie said that it was an “honour” to be invited to celebrate the King's Coronation with a performance.

The Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe winner and The Prince's Trust's first global ambassador said: “To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honour and a celebration.”

The King is said to have been “actively involved and engaged in” every aspect of the various celebratory Coronation events, which have been organised by the BBC in consultation with the royal household.

As an avid supporter of the arts, Charles’s love of classical music was expected to be showcased at the event.

North London singer Ridings will perform a duet with classical composer, producer and pianist Ffrench.

The King's lifelong advocacy for environmentalism and the natural world is also expected to be showcased, with a segment dedicated to conservation and the environment understood to be included.

A segment was also dedicated to the climate crisis at the concert for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee outside Buckingham Palace, where Prince William stressed the need to protect the planet in an address.

The world-renowned opera singer Bocelli also said it was a “great honour” to sing for the late Queen on several occasions and that it was another special moment to be asked to perform for the King.

Bocelli and Sir Bryn will perform a duet of an “iconic song of love and collective solidarity” during the concert.

Perry, one of the world’s biggest pop stars who is also an ambassador for The British Asian Trust - a charity founded by the King when he was Prince of Wales - said she was “excited” to perform.

Charlotte Moore, BBC chief content officer, said: “We are bringing the nation together for this once-in-a-generation occasion, broadcast exclusively across the BBC live from Windsor Castle.

“We have a world class line-up of performers to look forward to for what promises to be a very special night of celebration and entertainment.”

The concert, produced by BBC Studios Productions, will be broadcast live from the grounds of Windsor Castle on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.